I had the most beautiful experience in Ohrid. I took the ferry to cross the lake and visit Saint Naum's Monastery, where the Saint is buried. The Monastery was founded in the year 905 A.D. by Saint Naum.
I joined a queue to visit the small Monastery. In one of the divisions is the Saint's tomb. In front of me, two Orthodox girls kneeled and laid their ears against the tomb. We must have been amongst the last visitors and so were fortunate the place wasn't crowded. When they left my curiosity made me copy their gesture and, to my surprise, I heard a heart beating. So peaceful. I looked around. The light was dim. Everybody was leaving. I laid my ear against the tomb for the second time. And there it was, the slow rhythmic beating. I left the Monastery with a big smile.
That night I met Paula, a beautiful jewellery designer from Ohrid. And I asked if she knew anything about Saint Naum's Monastery.
The story explained by a local: Saint Naum and a fellow monk decided to build two Monasteries. The idea was to see who could build the Monastery first. And so they agreed on extending a rope across the lake and the first to finish would pull the rope to let the other know he had finished. An extension of water around 29 km separated the two Monasteries... the sound we hear can be the rope that crosses the water and connects the two Monasteries.
I prefer the second explanation: the Saint's heart still beats inside the tomb, both watching over the city of Ohrid and the people. They say only the pure heart can hear the beating.
There are many stories similar to this one in all religions.
I believe and have Faith, and that is enough for me.
